The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in my learning experience. “Do or do not there is no try.” – Master Yoda

 The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in my learning experience.

“Do or do not there is no try.” – Master Yoda

With more non-traditional students (adults over the age of 25) entering back into school technology has become necessary for us to keep learning.  As of 2013, distance learning accounted for 34% of all higher education enrollment (traditional and nontraditional students included)” (Allen & Seaman, 2014 as cited by King 2017).  Adult learners have found flexibility in the technological options available. Pelletier et al., (2023) mention that “As institutions continued to adapt, they realized that both faculty and students wanted more flexibility and options and that going back to 100% onsite learning would not be sustainable for many.” But the use of technology doesn’t come without issues.   Especially for adult learners reentering school to improve their prospects at work or to complete their initial degree, technology can seem like a roadblock.

I was one of those adult learners. To improve my standing as a learning and development specialist I decided in late 2020 to apply to master’s programs. Because of my hectic work schedule, I needed a program that provided me flexibility.  After doing research I found that some programs had been moved to a 100% asynchronous environment. I was scared! Once I had been accepted, I didn’t understand how the technology worked that would facilitate my learning. In Fred Davis’s Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), he proposed that the perceived usefulness (PU) of learning how to use technology and the perceived ease of use (PEOU) affect how an adult learner would adopt that new piece of technology. (Davis 1985 p. 26).  So how would I work to ensure my success in adopting Canvas and its tools?

Without knowing it I matched up with TAM. My first step was to ask the question, “How will this technology help me as I take each course?” Davis (1985) would match this up with the perceived usefulness of Canvas. I watched the tutorials provided to me by Kansas State. I sent emails to my first professor asking appropriate questions on how to use each of the sections. Finally, I went 1 step further and did my own research to find other courses and videos to help. I found that Canvas was a great tool that could provide me with the flexibility I was looking for while not sacrificing content, materials, and resources. Dinevski & Radovan, (2013) point out that adult education, a major strength is that it provides greater flexibility regarding time, space, pace, content, and methods of learning.

From my research, I was able to answer the question “Does Canvas fit in with my current experience of virtual learning?” or my perceived ease of use of this new tool. I was able to match up a lot of the tools available in Canvas to Microsoft Teams. My company adopted Teams to stay connected during COVID-19 while still sharing materials and collaborating. This experience made it easier for me to use the full functionality that Canvas had available. Davis (1985) stated, “that perceived ease of use is hypothesized to have a significant direct effect on perceived usefulness, since all else being equal, a system that is easier to use will result in increased job performance (i.e., greater usefulness) for the user.”

So, by doing my research and relating Canvas to Teams, I came to feel more comfortable. After my first course was completed, I was able to use all of the tools Canvas provides.

Did you have the same feelings when first adopting Canvas or another new technological tool?

 

 

 

References:

Davis, F. (1985). A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA. https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/15192Links to an external site.

King. (2017). Technology and Innovation in Adult Learning. In Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.  

Pelletier, K., Robert, J., Muscanell, N., McCormack, M., Reeves, J., Reeves, J., Arbino, N., Grajek, S., Birdwell, w.T., Liu, D., Mandernach, J., Moore, A., Porcaro, A., Rutledge, R. & Zimmern, J. (2023). 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report (Teaching and Learning Edition). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2023/5/2023-educause-horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-editionLinks to an external site.Links to an external site.